Just got off CZ 5 today. A glowing review.

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Joined
Apr 1, 2019
Messages
2
TL/DR: had fun, got good tips here, great crew/food


Flew to Chicago Tuesday just to get on the train to Sacramento on Wednesday. The trip was planned purely for me taking pictures out of the window for 3 days. (Roomette)

I came here to this site before I left looking for suggestions and tips and I have to thank those who posted the following:
- bring binder clips/clothes pins. In multiple uses were saviors.
- bring some gaff tape/duct tape. Had a few feet of gaff tape wrapped around a pen. Used about a foot to silence squeaks and rattles and to hold a power strip (another tip) out of the way.
-bring Windex wipes.

Union Station in Chicago was an impressive site, and the staff in the Metropolitan lounge were great, but I had more fun out in the great hall of the station.
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The ride was great. Relatively on time, got as bad as an hour and a half late out of Omaha, but by Reno we were back near on time.

The people I met on the train were fun, with one individual who just had no personality. Everyone else was friendly, funny, and a joy to sit and share with.

I was on car# 32062, a Superliner 1, the former Arapaho, and while it showed some signs of age, it was clean and comfortable. The roomette was actually more spacious than I expected, which considering how small they really are says a lot for what I expected. I'm 6'2" and could fully stretch out on the bottom rack when it was in bed mode.

The food. Oh my goodness the food. Steak for dinner both nights (one night of surf & turf), great breakfasts, lunches were the burger and a taco bowl thing I can't pronounce but was great. And the dining car staff and fellow passengers made the dining experience something to remember.
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The staff.
I don't have a single negative thing to say about the staff. Everyone I met from the different ops crews to all of the car attendants and food service staff were amazing. If you've ever taken this trip, or you take this trip before August (he's retiring after 30 years) and get Robert as your car attendant you're lucky. He was truly attendant to any request, had tons of information, and just made me feel like a very welcomed guest in his home.

The experience. Again, this trip was purely for photography, and I could not have been more amazed by the scenes I was able to capture. I found out that there really isn't a "good side" of the train for the overall, because there was amazing sites on both sides. Coming out of Denver and for the Rockies portion of the trip, the left side was the more scenic. Going through the Sierra's, the right side was the winner. I had the right side. So off to the sightsee-er car for the Rockies. And what a treat that was because I was able to get great photos and meet some great people. By the time we got to the Sierra's, I was getting pretty tired, and wasn't feeling too sociable, so hiding out in my roomette to take photos out of my window was the best option, and I was rewarded with breath taking views with a lot of snow still on the ground.
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We arrived in Sacramento about 2 minutes behind schedule.
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It was a trip I'd do again without any hesitation. Or I'd try a different route, but after having a delayed, crowded flight, just from Sacramento to Chicago, with lifeless people and flight crews who were less than hospitable, I'd rail travel whenever possible now.

Side note,

We hit something somewhere...…going to say the train won.
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Edited to fix photo placement
 
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I have been on many Amtrak trips by now, and enjoyed every single one. Attendants vary quite a bit, and the food varies somewhat (in spite of their attempts to make it all the same mediocre quality), but the view is always there, and the other passengers are always fun to meet. You have a good attitude, which I'd say makes up 75% of the likelihood you will also have a positive experience.
 
Great pictures, thanks for sharing! Looks like there is a very wide range of scenery on that route. I'm looking forward to riding it next year.
 
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